Parentage: ‘L6’ is a seedling selection which resulted from the open pollination of Rosa ‘Kolmade’ (Community Plant Variety Rights grant number 29439, granted on Apr. 5, 2011), the seed parent, and Rosa ‘Autumn Pride’ (not patented), the pollen parent. In 2013, seeds were harvested from ‘Kolmade’ which resulted in approximately 3,200 seedlings. In July of 2014, the seedlings were transplanted into a field in Willow Creek, Calif. and grown to a mature size. From 2014 to 2016, these plants were evaluated for commercial production, based on criteria such as growth habit and fruiting habit. In September of 2016, one plant was observed which exhibited a large number of long main stems with relatively few prickles, a high density of large, very firm rose hips with a vibrant red color, and improved resistance to rust disease. After further evaluation and confirmation of the desirable traits first observed, the claimed plant was selected for commercialization in November of 2016 and given the breeder denomination, ‘L6’.
Asexual Reproduction: Asexual propagation of ‘L6’, by way of softwood stem cuttings, was first performed in November of 2016 at the inventor's nursery in Willow Creek, Calif. Through three subsequent generations, the unique features of this cultivar have proven to be stable and true to type.